Path of Exile 2 Monk Leveling Build (Easy Mode)

Path of Exile 2 is tough. Many call it Diablo meets Elden Ring. Every engagement can be difficult, and bosses are highly lethal. 

Unlike Diablo 4, in which any class can take you to max level without breaking a sweat, Path of Exile 2 is genuinely challenging. You’ll want a decent build early on, something to help you take on the many difficult bosses the campaign will throw at you…

A Monk Leveling Guide Made Easy

Worry not; this guide will help you easily assemble the best leveling build for the Monk class during this Early Access period. This guide will be voluntarily shorter than the average guide, focusing on the basics and what actually makes a difference.

Monk Leveling Build: Invoker Ice Striker

The best Monk leveling build right now is the Ice Strike + Charged Staff build. Why? It is incredibly lethal and will help you coast through the campaign and melt bosses until you reach the endgame.

Ice Strike Skill, Path of Exile 2

Levels 1 to 14: Skills and Gear

It has to be said: using a Monk from levels 1 to 14 is as painful as it gets. Things get dramatically better as soon as you get Ice Strike (at level 14), but until then, the Monk might be the worst Class in the entire game… Most guides skip this part and talk about levels 20-30+. Not here.

To get through of this portion of your leveling, you will need the following Skill Gems and Support Gems:

1. Falling Thunder with Lightning Infusion + Perpetual Charge
2. Killing Palm with Profusion + Life Drain
3. Tempest Bell with Magnified Effect

Monk Skills screen, Path of Exile 2

Gameplay Loop

At this stage, Falling Thunder will get the job done, provided you Power Charge it. This is how it goes. Use Killing Palm on marked enemies to build Power Charges. Get three charges, if possible, to unleash a massive AoE attack on the next group of enemies that attacks you.

When facing a boss or Elite (Gold enemies), drop the Tempest Bell on top of it to hit both the bell and the boss. This will help you deal massive damage. Playing a Monk is no fun early on, but be patient; things will dramatically improve when you hit level 14.

🚨 Pro Tip: You’ll want the best Quaterstaff possible, as it can significantly increase your DPS. Therefore, purchase a better Quaterstaff from a vendor as soon as possible!

Levels 14 to 31: Ice Strike and Support Gems

At level 14, you’ll be able to unlock Ice Strike. Ice Strike will become your primary source of damage, and with the right Support Gems and weapon, it will easily do all the heavy lifting for you. Make sure you use the proper Support Gems on Ice Strike to reach your full DPS potential:

1. Ice Strike with Martial Tempo + Ice Bite
2. Tempest Bell with Magnified Effect
3. Falling Thunder with Lightning Infusion + Perpetual Charge
4. Killing Palm with Profusion + Life Drain

Gameplay Loop

The loop will remain similar as before, except your main attack is now Ice Strike, which will be much more helpful than the basic Quaterstaff Strike. Remember to use Killing Palm when possible to get Power Charges and unleash Falling Thunder when you see an incoming group of enemies. As before, Tempest Bell will remain your primary tool when dealing with bosses.

Levels 31 to Endgame: Charged Staff

At level 31, you’ll get access to the next game changer: Charged Staff. This passive skill will significantly buff Ice Strike. Acquiring Charged Staff requires two things: reaching level 31 and finding a Level 9 Uncut Skill Gem. Once you unlock it, you can replace Falling Thunder and use Charged Staff instead. These will be your go-to skills:

1. Ice Strike with Martial Tempo + Ice Bite
2. Charged Staff with Persistence + Perpetual Charge
3. Tempest Bell with Magnified Effect
4. Combat Frenzy (a Spirit Skill found on the Ranger’s tree) 
5. Hypothermia

Gameplay Loop

The ultimate setup uses the Ranger’s Combat Frenzy Skill, but it requires a level 8 Uncut Spirit Gem and 61 Dexterity. Once you have Ranger’s Combat, you’ll couple it with the Resonance passive skill. This will convert Frenzy Charges into Power Charges, removing the need for Killing Palm. Freezing enemies will grant you Power Charges, which will basically give you infinite Charge Staff.

Resonance Passive Skill, Path of Exile 2

The final piece of the puzzle is Hypothermia. With Hypothermia, you can curse enemies to make them more vulnerable to Cold attacks and make your buffed Ice Strike all the more effective.

This will be especially useful against bosses. The setup is simple: Apply Hypothermia on the boss (or Elite), use Ice Strike until it gives you a charge, activate Charged Staff, drop Tempest Bell on top of the boss, and melt it. 

Alternative until you get Combat Frenzy

If you struggle to find a level 8 Uncut Spirit Gem (like I did…), you can use continue using Killing Palm instead. It won’t be nearly as efficient but at least it will allow you to get Power Charges to activate Charged Staff:

1. Ice Strike with Martial Tempo + Ice Bite
2. Tempest Bell with Magnified Effect
3. Charged Staff with Persistence + Perpetual Charge
4. Killing Palm with Profusion + Life Drain

Skill Tree Points

One of the biggest mistakes when leveling is spending too much time thinking about how to spend your skills points. Instead, follow these principles and spend most of your time slaying:

• Don’t let the massive Passive Tree intimidate you!
• Focus on getting more Attack Power. 

What’s next

This build will take you to through the campaign until you reach the endgame. We will be adding another two sections soon: Passive Skills and Ascendencies.